Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Less is More

I went to a wonderful retreat last Friday with Renee Trudeau, the author of A Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal at the Lost Pines in Bastrop. I really enjoyed the day and I really enjoyed spending time with other women. One thing that struck me is the concept that Self-Care does not always mean "doing something". Taking care of yourself can mean doing less, putting away thoughts, reframing an experience, or just quietness. Cell phones, e-mail, the Internet are ever present.....It is said that people on average handle 6 times the information on a daily basis as they did in 1960. http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2595

With all this information zooming at us, we may feel the need for speeding up. It is easy to understand why there is a major coffee shop on every corner and "energy" drinks galore at every check-out stand and convenience store. We become over-stimulated, overscheduled, overworked, overwrought, overwhelmed.......That is one of the ways that we dilute our power and our presence.

So, as we have opportunities, offers, obstacles and ideas, we need to ask ourselves some questions:What does my emotional self need right now?What does my spiritual self need right now?What does my physical self need right now?What do I need mentally right now?How does this fit into my values?How does this fit into my vision for how my life could be?What will this cost in energy, time, money?If I take this on, what will I have to give up to maintain my life balance?Who can help support me in my decision?How would I advise my best friend in this same situation?Is there a "should" involved? (Shoulds are great signals for when something does not fit into your life, but is hard to say no to because of old stories or habits.)

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About Me

Over the years, DeAnne has become known for her creative dishes and her original recipes have been featured in local publications and nationally in magazines, such as, Better Homes and Gardens. She is the “go-to” resource among friends and neighbors when it comes to innovative ideas from the kitchen.
While on her honeymoon 20 + years ago, she was inspired during a class at the New Orleans School of Cooking with Chef Kevin Belton and soon discovered her natural talents for cooking. After moving to South Austin in 1994, she embraced “It's About Thyme” as conspirators in bringing life and variety to her family and entertaining meals. This summer, DeAnne spent time with world renowned chefs and James Beard Award winners in their own kitchens from California to New York City and has started “Soup Night”, a life-coaching group that meets at her home monthly, inspired by one of those James Beard winners, Leah Chase.